Foundations
by Deziray
Summary: As she was slowly pulled from her memories of  NYU by the buildings of her beloved New York City, Blair couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief and offer a silent thanks to providence that she was finally walking all on her own. Blair.


Hi everyone,

So, this is my first story in a LONG time. It's rough, it's probably mediocre at best, but it's an idea I've been wanting to get out for a long time. We all know how Chuck and Blair are in the show right now. I've noticed tons of fictions creating ways for them to be together. Although I read and enjoy many of those fan fics, I can't help but feel sad that Blair is never her own person. I wanted to make a one shot for Blair in which she is able to be Blair Waldorf, and not "Blair Waldorf who will inevitably be with Chuck Bass". I feel that Blair's character deserves much more than that, which is why this story might not interest some of you and might even spurn some of you to flame this. That's fine. I just believe that Blair deserves more than just Chuck Bass and his billions.

This story is un-beta'd and is very choppy, so I apologize. I wrote this on a serious whim. So please excuse any glaring spelling, grammatical, or other mistakes, ok? Review if you'd like. But in the end, this is my ode to a character I felt was butchered for the sake of soapy romance story lines. There's a tiny dash of dair thrown in (I'm a fan girl of Humphrey), but it's not anything that is very set in stone. It's more of an allusion. So again, don't read this is if you are a die-hard fan who only has tunnel vision for a Chuck and Blair reunion, because this fic doesn't portray that.

Other than that, I hope that you enjoy the story and I just want to thank you all ahead of time for taking the time to read this! It really does mean a lot to me :) Thank you.

Foundations

"We the jury find the defendant, Jacob Williamson… not guilty."

The courtroom erupted in cheers as the Jacob Williamson was quickly embraced from behind by his wailing mother and father. Although overwhelmed by the emotions that came with being acquitted, Jacob still managed to reach out a hand to his lawyer, who gave him a gentle squeeze and serene half smile in return.

As Jacob was lead out of the courtroom and into the daylight from the busy New York street outside, his lawyer stayed behind and quietly began to gather her things after being congratulated by colleagues and being thanked over and over by members of Williamson's family. As she walked down the steps of the courthouse, she looked to her left and saw Williamson speaking to reporters about the relief he felt at being found innocent for the murder of his best friend. He didn't fail to say however, how it was all thanks to his attorney's insistence on further investigation into a second party blood sample found at the scene, that he was now a free man.

Williamson's genuine thanks made Blair Waldorf smile as she put on her sunglasses and stepped into her waiting car. As the car sped off, attorney Blair Waldorf of Boies, Schiller and Flexner Law Firm leaned her head back against the seat of the car and gave herself a pat on the back for a job well done. As she was smiling to herself, Washington Square Park came into view and Blair couldn't help but think back to 8 years ago when she was a ghost of the girl she was today.

Following her fall out with Charles Bass, Blair had fled to France and tried her best to forget that their relationship ever existed. That proved to be difficult, as she found herself attempting to placate the hole left in her heart with shopping, new boyfriends, and Daddy and Roman. But in the end, all of these, no matter how charming and French-accented, paled in comparison to the former glory that she and Chuck had basked in. She mistook this failure of moving on as indication that she needed Chuck. To make matters worse, she discovered Chuck was shot and her initial gut reaction was to run back into his waiting arms. Although he was genuinely sorry for selling her to his uncle and Blair forgave him for his indiscretion with Jenny Humphrey, something was missing. The spark wasn't the same as it was before. Chuck's constant insistence that their dark sides were complimentary grew old and tiresome, and Blair longed for change.

During their 3-month anniversary of getting back together, Blair realized that she was at a crossroads. The diamond ring that Chuck had presented to her along with his eternal declaration of love and commitment, paled in comparison to the desire for something more. It was in that moment that Blair admitted she was merely a half built human. The first half of her life was built from a tough foundation that she herself had forged through perseverance and strong will (she had survived her parent's divorce, battled bulimia, and bounced back from educational humiliation). When she was with Chuck, she believed that her foundation would be built with him by her side and that it would stand as tall and as gloriously as The Empire Hotel. Unfortunately, she had been duped into the idea that Chuck was the other half of her building, when he was merely an awning susceptible to collapse. If Blair wanted to feel whole, she would have to build the rest of herself on her own, and not through a co-dependant relationship that brought more grief than joy.

After gently letting Chuck down, and he insisting that they were inevitable and that she would regret her decision, Blair went home and began her transfer application to Yale University. Amidst worrying texts from her mother and Serena asking if she had lost her mind, for the first time, Blair believed she was on to something. While her father had ignited the original spark, Blair began to remember her former love of learning and law. She remembered sitting with her father as he told her of the cases he had won. She remembered the smile he sported as he talked animatedly about the cases he fought to win and the warm feeling of pride he felt whenever he walked away with a victory.

In a matter of weeks, Blair had her application sent and awaited a response. During her time of waiting, she decided to join the literature club (she figured hanging out with Humphrey and his kind wasn't going to damage her too much if she was leaving anyways) and was once again brought to life by the countless books and conversations she had with the other members. Slowly Blair began to lay out the foundation of her other half, this time, with one that she herself would forge.

January rolled by, and Blair's hard work paid off. She was to be a part of the legacy her father had begun. Yale was finally in her grasp. Her joy, however, turned sour however, when she found out from Serena that Chuck had had a hand in her acceptance via an anonymous donation. Although initially touched by his efforts, Blair understood that her foundation must be built without the hands of Chuck. So with a heavy sigh, Blair sent a letter to the president of admissions, informing him that although deeply honored by the acceptance, she had decided to continue her education at NYU.

She returned to her dorm later that night to find a flabbergasted Chuck leaning against the doorframe, demanding an answer for why she was giving up on pursuing her dream. With a quiet confidence, Blair approached Chuck and asked him whether or not he thought giving her Yale would bring them back together. Chuck's only response was to look down at his feet. With a strength she didn't know she had, Blair leaned in and gave Chuck one last chaste kiss on the cheek before telling him he needed to work on himself before being ready for a love as deep as theirs. Rather than offering another declaration, Chuck looked Blair in the eye a final time before making his way down her hall.

Blair allowed herself to cry for one night, and one night only. As she wept on her bed, Blair pulled out her copy of _T he Alchemist _from underneath her. Wiping her puffy eyes, Blair instantly felt a surge of hope. While the pain of losing Chuck was in no way gone, Blair realized that this time, there would be no falling back into the arms of a dysfunctional romance. She realized that she had successfully laid the concrete (finally) for her foundation, and it consisted of things that ignited her interests and passions and had nothing to do with her desire to please others.

If you had asked her three years ago, Blair would have told you that a degree from NYU was as worthless as a high school GED from a public school. After deciding to stay, Blair decided that she would build up a strong resume on her own. She was tired of running and using favors to get ahead. If anything, she knew that manipulation and lies could only end in heartache. She wanted to see how it felt when she earned something through hard work only. From there, Blair continued to uphold her strong work ethic, but this time, she didn't freak out when she received a B+ on a paper (Humphrey had asked if she was on medication and if so, that she was a medical marvel). Although Blair Cornelia Waldorf still wouldn't be caught dead in a pair of Crocs, she would allow herself a flannel shirt (Marc Jacobs, of course), skinny jeans (anything less than Japanese one-of-a-kind imported Diesel Jeans would be suicide), and boots (Louboutin or bust) when having coffee with her admittedly cute and charming middle class lab partner named Craig.

As her time at NYU was coming to an end and Blair participated in senior activities (well… she organized them because powder puff football is NOT something that a Waldorf does), she looked back and came to the conclusion that she was happy with her decision to stay at NYU and grow with her surroundings. She was still Blair, but this time, she was equipped with a sense of realism accompanied by a dash of hope.

So as she was called to the stage as salutatorian, Blair knew she had fought tooth and nail for her spot in the NYU graduating class of 2013. She had heard from Nate that Chuck had initially hatched a plan to destroy Daniel Humphrey, thus allowing Blair to take the spot of Valedictorian, but he had pulled out last minute. He came to terms with the conclusion that Blair's education was no longer any of his concern. A stationary set, and a tiffany's encrusted leather watch were sent the morning of her graduation with the words "I believe Congratulations are in order, Waldorf. –Chuck Bass".

Blair smiled at the gifts she received that morning and couldn't believe she was on her way to building a life that didn't include her being the other half of Chair. As Blair's name was called, she shot a quick smile to Humphrey and walked across the stage and shook the hand of the University President. With her diploma in hand, She turned to her parents and the waiting camera in her father's hands and flashed the largest of grins. Her foundation was complete and her structure had nowhere to go, but up.

Blair dreamily opened her eyes. As she was slowly pulled from the memory of her times at NYU by the buildings of her beloved New York City passing by her window, she couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief and offer silent thanks to providence that she was finally walking all on her own. After graduating from Law School (she graduated Valedictorian, by the way), Blair had moved back to New York City to begin practicing. Her initial cases had dealt with business ventures gone sour and eager divorcees suing for millions, which, although well paying, offered little satisfaction. Blair was under the impression that perhaps law was the wrong career, but after talking to her father, realized that she was in the right career, but a part of the wrong sector. After deciding to try her hand at criminal defense, Blair quickly found her groove again and in no time, became one of the firm's top employees. Jacob Williamson's case was only one of many that had gone off without a hitch thanks to Blair Waldorf.

Blair's train of thought was brought to a halt when her town car pulled up in front of the restaurant she was meeting Dan Humphrey at. Although she was far too high on the thrill of life to require romance, Blair couldn't help but blush every time Humphrey held open a door or greeted her with a kiss on the cheek whenever they met for lunch. They could wait though, Blair decided. Besides, she knew that Humphrey felt the same.

As she sat down to eat, still blushing from Humphrey's latest kiss, Blair looked across from her to Humphrey and they both shared a knowing smile. Humphrey only uttered, "Who woulda thought, huh Blair?"

Blair could only roll her eyes and laugh. Although she wasn't done creating the final end product of Blair Cornelia Waldorf, Blair was happy with the structure of herself thus far. Perhaps being happy was the key all along.


End file.
